The American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that was released in 2011 was intended to kick off a series of movies based off author Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. However, after numerous delays, director David Fincher and Rooney Mara, the actress who brought Lisbeth Salander to life in the U.S., eventually dropped out of making any sequels. However, Lisbeth will soon be back on the big screen for The Girl in the Spider's Web, and it's been announced that The Crown's Claire Foy will be the one playing her.
Claire Foy was originally reported to be the leading contender to take over from Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander back in May, but Sony Pictures made the casting official today, announcing that the Golden Globe-winning Foy will lead the new installment of the Millennium franchise. Although The Girl in the Spider's Web will feature an entirely new cast, it will serve as a sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo rather than a reboot. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson were previously being eyed to play Lisbeth before Foy was in the running.
Claire Foy is currently best know for playing Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix TV series The Crown. Her other notable credits include Upstairs Downstairs, Rosewater and and Wolf Hall. For The Girl in the Spider's Web, she will be working under director Fede Álvarez, who previously helmed 2013's Evil Dead and 2016's Don't Breathe. Álvarez penned the screenplay with Steven Knight and Jay Basu.
The Girl in the Spider's Web is adapting the 2015 novel of the same name written by David Lagercrantz, who picked up where Stieg Larrson left off six years after the publication of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Larsson's final book, and, like the previous two Millennium books, posthumously published. This also the first from the book series to be an English-language movie for its initial adaptation, as Steig Larrson's original Millennium trilogy were previously adapted as Swedish movies and were all released in 2009. Lagercrantz's next Millennium book, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, became available for purchase a few days ago, and Sony already has a film adaptation of that entry in development. As for The Girl in the Spider's Web's story, it follows Lisbeth Salander assisting journalist Mikael Blomkvist in chasing after information vital to the United States, only to be targeted by others who want to protect such secrets.
The Girl in the Spider's Web is scheduled production next January in Berlin and Stockholm, and it will be released in theaters on October 19, 2018, putting it in competition with the new Halloween and Warner Bros' Jungle Book adaptation. While we wait for more news about Lisbeth Salander's next adventure, look through out movie premiere guide to find out what 2017's remaining theatrical offerings are.
